Monthly Archives: December 2012

Four of this year's lost 10 pounds have been rediscovered. It took three days to clean the house after the Express Holiday prompted by our son's need to get back to St. Louis for work. (Still, some kind of sticky peppermint crud refuses to vacate the top of the freezer.) And the credit card bill is due tomorrow.

On the other hand . . .

o We didn't skid off the highway like the half dozen cars and trucks we saw stuck in that ice north of Macomb over the weekend. Thirty or 40 people were supposed to be stranded near Good Hope during last week's storm.

o Our son has a job, which is no small blessing this year.

o We have food. And the extra padding may come in handy until we can work off a few cookies in January.

o There's a definite "ouch" factor when MasterCard comes post-caroling. But a Christmas club account cushions the crunch considerably.

A thousand geese were winging their way north this morning, jostling and honking and generally getting along quite well for holiday rush travellers. They reminded me of Fr. Bruce King, who pastored St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Farmington until recently. He liked to point out that the Christmas season actually begins on Christmas Day and continues for a couple of weeks to Epiphany, even though the vast majority of us are ready to pitch the tree and punt the toffee by New Year's Eve.

Takes the pressure off, doesn't it? While the ground is a little gritty, and likely to remain so, deeper seasonal rhythms remain. Just look up.

Victoria Harper has been named the 2012 County Official of the Year by the Illinois Association of County Officials.

Harper has been involved in county government since 1979, and served as Fulton County's treasurer since 1994. In the official announcement after the group held a conference in Chicago last month, the IACO cited her as "instrumental in the automation of the county's financial and tax collection systems." Harper herself noted in an email that the award covers all elected officials in Illinois except state's attorneys.

"I was sure that my life wasn't that spectacular compared to many of the officials in larger counties," she said. "I have been very limited as to how often and far I could go from my county. I was so very surprised, grateful and humbled when I was given this award. It is the highest honor an Illinois county elected official can achieve. . .

Amidst preparation for the holidays, one may forget even the most important things.

For example, the end of life on Earth.

This came to mind while paying a bill to AmerenIllinois. The chore itself wasn't terribly doom and gloomy. Lingering sunny days and 50-degree temperatures — the legacy of this year's drought — have more than one upside. But the bill itself was three days late. I'd been grading final exams for classes at Bradley University and slipped into the usual December frenzy without noticing. Despite what seemed like endless checking-off on the to-do list, so many tasks remained un-done.

Thank God for the perspective offered by archeologist Alan Harn at Dickson Mounds State Museum. Studying ancient civilizations must give him the long view. We were trying to schedule a time next week to talk about some of his research. He couldn't do Monday or lunch on Tuesday.

"The rest of my week is open, although I have to remind you that the world is going to end on Friday, so we would have to act quickly," he emailed. "Or will doing anything really make any difference?"

Good point. According to Mayan mathematicians, the calendar stops at 11:11 a.m. on 12.21.12. That would be Friday. Actually, the world was supposed to end in 2003, after being struck by the Sumerians' planet Nibiru. That didn't happen. So those predictions were moved to the end of the Mayan calendar, which is tidy.

NASA has tried to debunk these theories. It even released a "told-you-so" video a couple of days ago. On the other hand, such a move could easily make the suspicious/superstitious among us even more frightened. Think about it: Does the space program know people won't be around to see the video later?

After all, this has not been an easy year for the keep-calm-and-carry-on crew. We've had drought, superstorms and — if you're a Republican — a catastrophic presidential election. Even New Year's Rockin' Eve's apparently-eternally-youthful Dick Clark, the herald of our own calendar, died in April.

As whoever produces all the goofy jokes on the Internet noted at the time, well-played, Mayans. Well-played.

But as one of those cheery folks who dwells on thoughts about every day being the end of the world for somebody, it's actually a good reminder: Get ready. Then relax.

Calling them "excellent opportunities, especially for cash-strapped rural and small-town fire departments," State Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, sent out word about three different grants.

o Community outreach can be underwritten by Fire Prevention and Safety Grants available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. Check http://www.fema.gov/welcome-assistance-firefighters-grant-program. Deadline is Jan. 18.

o Communication devices, vehicle rescue and protective equipment can be purchased with help from the Small Equipment Grant Program from the Illinois Fire Marshall's office. Visit http://www.sfm.illinois.gov/fireservice/grantsloans.aspx for more information. Deadline is Jan. 31.

o The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has $230,000 in federal funds to distribute to rural volunteer fire departments. To find out more about the Volunteer Fire Assistance Program, go to http://www.sfm.illinois.gov/news/. Deadline is Mar. 15.

If you'd like to talk to somebody about these programs, call one of Sullivan's offices. The number in Macomb is (309) 833-5526; in Quincy it is (217) 222-2295.

A branch of the American Society of Landscape Architects has given its General Design Professional Honor Award to the visitor facilities at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve near Lewistown.

Officially opened 18 months ago, the project includes two observatories at Thompson Lake. The Lakeside Obervatory feaures an 800-foot boardwalk made of recycled plastics; the Wetland Observatory has an elevated platform offering a birds-eye view of the wetlands.

According to information from The Nature Conservancy, the design team was asked to incorporate the "huge slabs" of concrete left behind from the days the land was farmed. The material was used for sign bases, to protect the shoreline, as shore gravel and to create seat walls.

The collaboration by Atlanta-based MACTEC planning and engineering group (now AMEC E&I), Signature Design and Sutton Studios won the award from the Georgia Chapter of ASLA. If you would like to see a slideshow from the visitor's center on opening day, visit http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/illinois/explore/emiquon-grand-opening-slideshow.xml

Re-re-reading "The Hobbit" in preparation for the film which opens in the U.S. next week, Bud Grieves came to mind.

The former Peoria mayor and current Fulton County resident has explored his bent for "smart, sustainable living" with a project he calls Hobbit Hollow. He has been trying to sell the first of what may be five earth-sheltered homes at property along U.S. Route 24 near Banner. Like Bilbo Baggins's abode, his "dome homes" will have windows to the outside, but will burrow into the ground behind them. Grieves says this first house is built to withstand a tornado, fire-resistant — and energy-efficient enough that it doesn't need a furnace.

While open houses have brought lots of gawkers, Grieves is still looking for a buyer.

"No takers yet, but came close on a couple," he said via email. "Just a little too different for folks in the area, I think, but will find the right person eventually — maybe movie will help!"

Grieves said he may rent the place over the winter and list it with a Realtor next spring. In the meanwhile, if you want to take a peek, vist www.hobbithollow.info/Hobbit_Hollow/Home.html.